The Lafayette Police Department SWAT team has received an award from the Louisiana Tactical Peace Officers Association for their responses to three incidents in the past year.

One incident involved a suspect who was barricaded in a hotel on the Evangeline Thruway, said Cpl. Paul Mouton, spokesman for the Lafayette Police Department. The second incident happened at a home off of East Bayou Parkway, where a suspect slammed a door shut with firefighters inside of the house and threatened them. The suspect then barricaded himself inside the home for several hours.

The third incident happened when an armed robbery suspect held up a home on Macon Road.

The awards are presented each year to a SWAT team in Louisiana whose members distinguished themselves during a tactical operation. A selection committee reviews these situations in which a team acts to protect fellow officers, innocent victims and even suspects.

This is the second time the Lafayette team has received this award from the LTPOA.

SWAT team officers must have at least two years of experience and work on the team on a volunteer basis. They must pass several rigorous tasks to be accepted as a probationary member.